Category: Top Dog

My puppy is four months old and I had to constantly bribe him to eat. I originally thought it was the purine proplan food so I switched him over a month ago to hills science diet wet and dry food. I’m now at the point where each meal has some wet food, some dry food, a topper, and sprinkled with dehydrated chicken or liver treats. I have to keep sprinkling a bit of treats throughout his meal to get him to eat. I’ve never had an animal not motivated by food so this is new territory for me. I’ve changed bowls and now using a lick mat which seems to work fractionally better. I’m hoping it’s related to teething as he’s well in the midst of that. His weight seems to be good but I just want to make sure he’s getting all he needs. Any thoughts and suggestions are welcomed!

On a side note, a huge thank you to this community. When I brought him home at 8 weeks I had about four weeks of puppy blues. I didn’t even know that was a thing at first until I found this subreddit. Things aren’t perfect (I didn’t/don’t expect them to be) but they’ve gotten better and I know I’m not alone

We just got an 8 month old poodle mix. He’s about 20 pounds. Great pup. Seems mostly crate trained however he isn’t potty trained at all. He holds his pee for a very long time. I’m taking him out immediately upon waking still nothing. For hours. The second we get outside he’s shaking. At times with windchill it feels -15. Warmest today was 5 degrees. He has a jacket. Is it possible it’s just too cold?? I haven’t gotten a single potty outside. After 16 hours of him holding it using the crate to outside method every 30 minutes I put him in a playpen with pee pads and he peed immediately. I’m starting to wonder if it’s just too cold?

We have a new border terrier puppy (10 weeks old), she really is good as gold and such a funny sweet little girl, with a strong prey drive.

Our older labrador is 5 and a really gentle, sweet dog but doesn't really stick up for himself (can be quite anxious).

When they play which they love to do, they are mostly really good together and play with toys etc, but sometimes she is just so rough with him, growls, snarls, grabs onto his ears or jowls.

We break them up when she gets like this but it's weird because he doesn't seem to mind? Never corrects her himself as far as I can see.

She's already learnt well not to do the same grabbing onto trouser legs and biting with me, but she does seem to be a bit rough with him sometimes, he even got a bite on the balls once 😂

Anyone experienced this and have some advice?

I’m looking for tips of advice. I recently brought home a 6, almost 7, months chihuahua mix. He was re-homed from a house with many other dogs and it seems like he was not properly socialised. He is not potty trained and does not know how to walk on a leash. He is scared of everything, but in particular of being touched. He seems to just be a very sensitive dog. Since he arrived, I have been working on building trust, helping him feel more confident and helping him get comfortable in the house. It has been 5 days now and although he is curious, he still won’t let me touch him and flinches if I make sudden movements too close to him. I have had dogs growing up, but I have never had such a scared and sensitive dog. If anything, the dogs I had tended to be the opposite way, extroverted and eager. Would anyone here have similar experiences and maybe some tips on how to help him bond and not feel scared of touch?

I also haven’t been able to start ant training with him because of this and I’m worried he might not adjust well long-term – I go to the office 2 times a week and my initial plan was to put him in a day care nearby, but I’m not sure we will ever get to that point, so maybe I also just need some reassurance from people who have been through this.

I will be thankful for the help!! 🙏